Important news for The Newly Arrived Residents to Australia!

According to published Senate resolution The Newly Arrived Residents Waiting Period (NARWP) would be increased to four years from January 1, 2022 and would apply to the following payments and concession cards:

• Carer Payment (if you give constant care to someone who has a severe disability, illness, or an adult who is frail aged)
• Carer Allowance (if you give additional daily care to a person with a disability, medical condition, or who is frail aged)
• Parental Leave Pay
• Dad and Partner Pay
• Family Tax Benefit – Part A and Part B, that helps with the cost of raising children.
• the Low Income Health Care Card
• the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card

Currently the waiting periods for similar payments vary from one to four years.

Officially, these changes reflect two policy principles: consistency in social security payments and the expectation of financial “self-sufficiency” for newly arrived migrants.

Obviously, the proposed changes will affect family planning decisions among migrants, since the waiting period for parental leave payments will be increased, because a migrant becomes a “newly arrived resident” from the moment of obtaining permanent residence.

However, there will be exceptions within the social security system for newly arrived migrants ensures that should a person find themselves in the unfortunate position of experiencing a significant change in circumstance beyond their control that they are able to receive an appropriate level of support.